Reverie
by persseida
Summary: She felt like sinking in a deep, cold ocean, and the voices came from the surface. But only one of them seemed floating next to her. Annie's vision and experience inside the crystal.


She opened her eyes. Her knees were close to her chin, and her arms hugged her legs. All she could see was white. Not a single sign of life. There was nothing. Floor and horizon, all white. She couldn't exactly say how much time she had spent in that barren space. Seconds? Hours? Years? It was impossible to know. A soft cotton white dress covered her body. Her eyes itched and her cheeks felt damp. She rubbed her eyelids, but found no relief.

All she could remember was a bunch of soldiers aiming their blades at her – it was pointless. Nevertheless, they could defeat her. How did she stoop so low? That damn kid. Her veins pumped with anger. She knew something was wrong from the moment she saw him in that corner. Did she accept to help him just to feel better about herself? Was it a way to feel forgiven? Who knows. Once again, she was hiding away from the world and its expectations. Hiding away from showing her weakness. In her crystal. In her corner of grief.

Lying on her side, she felt some steps behind her back. Slowly, she sat up and turned her head to look at the origin of the sound. There was a girl, but her face was blurry. She was still quite far to recognise her. Annie stood up in an attempt to discover the person's identity.

Eventually, the presence was near enough and Annie could distinguish a disappointed frown. It was Hitch. Her hazel bangs hid her teary eyes, she sounded really mad. Annie felt like she was in a bubble and her comrade was outside, like her ears were blocked. Her muffled voice raised and broke as the girl clenched her fists.

Annie tried to speak back, but no sound left her mouth. Then, Hitch disappeared. Again, Annie couldn't figure out how much time her mad peer had been talking to her. She felt like in a deep dream, sinking in an infinite ocean, and the voices came from the surface. Annie thought Hitch and the others would have kept track of her disastrous woes.

Deep down, she knew it was all her fault. But still, she couldn't accept it. She was taught to never trust anyone. Not even her colleagues, Reiner and Bertholdt. It was a really useful teaching. She couldn't quite comprehend why she hadn't applied it on Armin, though. She believed the sly boy's words, making her façade fall for only a moment. A fraction of time enough to screw it all. Blame him. Blame his existence. She should have killed him when she had the chance, that chance. She spared him twice. She showed weakness, the first crack on her walls, the very first and last one.

Time like seconds passed by, and all she could do was lie on that white infinity. Not even a ceiling or sky to stare at. Still, she felt comfortably numb. Nothing could reach her, nothing could affect her. She was lying spreading her arms and legs away from her body. Millions of images and moments rushed before her eyes.

All of sudden, something tickled between her fingers. She took a glance at her right hand, seeing a small mauve flower pop up. She was wondering, as she had never seen another thing apart from her in that infinite space. Another flower arose, alongside with two more. Before she could even realize, she was surrounded by a blossoming purple field.

Again, some steps were heard from away. As the sounds became louder, the herbage spread further and further. Some bare feet were seen, and with every step, the same flowers grew under them. This time it was a male. A slender figure dressed with white thin clothing advanced towards her. Again, his face was blurry, and time started to pass even slower. Annie discovered her arms were tangled among the vegetation, as the stems curled around her. She broke free and stood up, but flowers wouldn't stop growing and twisting around her ankles.

"Hello, Annie." The male's voice broke the silence. This time she could hear clearly, making out every word and sound. She didn't feel like it was a dream. This person was there. Golden locks framed a very familiar face. His blue eyes set on her. They seemed wistful and tired, but still his lips formed a small smile. For a moment, Annie felt relieved, like she had just realized she felt lonely. Quickly, she rejected that thought and her mind was then filled with hatred and revenge.

He looked calm, almost angelic, like he had found a place to finally rest. Annie walked furiously towards the young boy, and stood before him. She looked into his eyes, but couldn't take it and grabbed him by the neck, pressing her hands on his skin. The boy did not fight back, only stepped back and his face morphed into a hurt expression. Annie focused her eyes on his chest, while she heard some gasps from the boy's mouth.

"You know, I'll understand if you do it," managed to speak the blond, between suffocating sounds. Annie then stopped for a single second, amazed to feel his strangled voice so near, so real. She looked up and saw some hopeful eyes, as if he knew she couldn't do it. She looked back down rapidly. She couldn't let his presence change her goal. He reminded her that she didn't want all of that. Not a single bit. And she hated him for that. Annie was afraid to let her anger fade slowly, so she just pressed her thumbs deeper into his throat. Warm tears rolled down her face.

"Annie, I-" he breathed weakly, and then the petite girl started wailing. He made an effort to rest his hands on her trembling arms, in a comforting act.

"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up forever…! Don't… say anything," her voice broke as she let go of his strangled neck, and her hands tightened around the fabric of his chest. Immediately, the taller coughed vigorously, sucking as much air as he could. Although his chest hurt, he rapidly recovered and paid attention to the crying girl that once seemed so cold, so distant.

His hands set on her shaking shoulders. All the flowers had withered.


End file.
